Iran slams small group of people trying to define democracy

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Wednesday that the time has passed that a small group of people can define the concept of democracy, underlining "the need to make fundamental changes in the international politics for a better world tomorrow."

Ahmadinejad, speaking to the general debate of the General Assembly, said that it is unacceptable that a "small minority" dominates the international politics, economy and culture.

"Clearly, the continuation of the current situation is impossible," he said.

"The world needs to undergo fundamental change, and this should be made in a collective way," the president said, adding that such changes should be "systematic, theoretical and practical."

Furthermore, he voiced his estimation that even Americans want fundamental changes in their social system.

Meanwhile, the president accused Israel of "inhuman politics" in the Palestinian territories and foreign forces of spreading "war, bloodshed, aggression, terror and intimidation" in the Middle East, citing the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The president also touched upon the reform of the 192-nation United Nations to make the world body "more efficient and more democratic."

"The bombing in Afghanistan and Palestine has never stopped, and the Guantanamo prison has not been closed down," he said.